Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries1,2. However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world3 and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health4,5. However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol—which is a marker of cardiovascular risk—changed from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million–4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.</p

Intensidade de poda na produção e na qualidade dos frutos de mirtileiro

[PT]: O mirtileiro possui frutos com alto potencial antioxidante e nutracêutico. Este potencial pode ser influenciado pela severidade da poda nas plantas, principalmente em função do impacto na produção e dos efeitos do aumento da radiação solar incidente sobre os frutos. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da intensidade da poda seca sobre a produção e os atributos de qualidade dos frutos de mirtileiro das cultivares Clímax, Bluegem e Powderblue, produzidas na mesorregião de Pelotas-RS. Para tal, foi conduzido um experimento no município de Morro Redondo-RS, durante a safra de 2012/2013, sendo utilizadas as cultivares grupo >Rabbiteye>, Clímax, Bluegem e Powderblue. A poda foi realizada em três níveis de remoção de ramos: normal, média e leve, no dia 20 de julho de 2012. A intensidade de poda seca exerceu influência sobre a produção e o teor de fitoquímicos dos frutos de mirtileiros. A produção das plantas submetidas a poda leve foi maior que as submetidas a poda média e normal, sendo o mesmo observado em relação ao teor de compostos fenólicos das cvs. Bluegem e Powderblue, enquanto para o teor de antocianinas, a intensidade de poda teve efeito distinto sobre os atributos de qualidade físico-química das diferentes cultivares.[EN]: Blueberry plants possess fruit with high antioxidant and nutraceutical potential. This potential can be influenced by pruning severity, especially due to the impact in production and the effects of increased solar radiation on the fruit. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of dry pruning intensity on the production and quality attributes of blueberry fruit from cultivars, Clímax, Bluegem and Powderblue, produced in the mesoregion of Pelotas, RS. For such, an experiment was conducted in Morro Redondo, RS during the growing season 2012/2013, using cultivars of the "Rabbiteye" group, Clímax, Bluegem and Powderblue. Pruning was performed at three intensity, normal, average e light levels on July 20th 2012. Dry pruning intensity influenced production and phytochemical content of blueberry fruit. The production of plants applied the light intensity pruning was higher than the production of plants applied medium and normal intensity, the same was observed in relation to the phenolic content of cv. Bluegem and Powderblue. For anthocyanin content, and other quality attributes pruning intensity had a distinct effect on the quality attributes of the different cultivars.Os autores agradecem ao Programa de Pós-graduação em Agronomia (PPGA - UFPel) e ao Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), pela concessão da bolsa de Doutorado do primeiro autor.Peer Reviewe

Atividade microbiana de solo e serapilheira em áreas povoadas com Pinus elliottii e Terminalia ivorensis Microbial activity of soil and litter in areas with forest stands of Pinus elliottii e Terminalia ivorensis

No Brasil, as espécies Pinus elliottii e Terminalia ivorensis vêm sendo indicadas para reflorestamento. No entanto, pouco se sabe sobre as características ecológicas destas florestas, o ciclo de nutrientes e suas conseqüências sobre a produtividade e sustentabilidade sob condições tropicais. Visando melhor compreender a dinâmica do C nestes ecossistemas, objetivou-se neste trabalho avaliar a atividade microbiana do solo, serapilheira e da mistura solo + serapilheira em povoamentos florestais de P. elliottii e T. ivorensis. Amostras de solos e serapilheira foram incubadas e a atividade microbiana avaliada por meio da evolução de CO2. Ao final da incubação, a respiração acumulada foi superior para a serapilheira de T. ivorensis. Os demais substratos com serapilheira não diferiram entre si, mas diferiram do solo sob T. ivorensis, que, por sua vez, diferiu do solo sob P. elliottii. Nas condições testadas, a incorporação de solo à serapilheira, bem como a incorporação alternada de solo de um povoamento à serapilheira de outro, não promoveu aumentos significativos na respiração da serapilheira, mostrando que as características químicas da própria serapilheira alteram mais fortemente sua velocidade de degradação que as características químicas e microbianas do solo onde é incorporada.<br>In Brazil, the species Pinus elliottii and Terminalia ivorensis are being recommended for reforestation. However, little is known about the ecological characteristics of such forests, the nutrient cycle and possible consequences on yields and sustainability under tropical conditions. For a better understanding of the C dynamic in these ecosystems, this study aimed to evaluate the microbial activity of soil, litter, and the mixture of soil + litter in forest stands of P. elliottii and T. ivorensis. Samples of soil, litter and mixture were incubated and the microbial activity was evaluated on the basis of CO2 released. At the end of incubation, the accumulated respiration was significantly higher in litter of T. ivorensis. The other substrates with litter did not differ from each other, but differed from the soil under T. ivorensis, which in turn differed from soil under P. elliottii. In the tested conditions, the soil incorporation to litter, as well as the alternate incorporation of soil from one forest with the litter of another did not cause a significant increase in litter respiration. This indicates that the influence of the chemical characteristics of the litter itself on degradation speed is stronger than the chemical and microbiological characteristics of the soil where it is incorporated